World leaders condemn Iranian regime, urge caution as they react to U.S. strikes
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issues a statement at 10 Downing Street , after U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran in what the two countries described as a “pre-emptive” strike against a Tehran government intent on developing nuclear weapons, in London, Britain, February 28, 2026.
Jonathan Brady | Via Reuters
World leaders reacted to U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran Saturday, with multiple emphasizing condemning the Iranian regime while urging restraint in the unprovoked attack.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. had “no role” in the strikes, but called the Iranian regime “utterly abhorrent” in a video address at 10 Downing Street.
“They have murdered thousands of their own people, brutally crushed dissent, and sought to destabilize the region,” Starmer said. “So, it is clear, they must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. That remains the primary aim of the United Kingdom and our allies, including the U.S..”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized Russia’s military links to the Iranian regime in a Saturday morning X post as the war between Russia and Ukraine entered its fifth year earlier this week.
“Although Ukrainians never threatened Iran, the Iranian regime chose to become Putin’s accomplice and supplied him with ‘shahed’ drones, and not only the drones themselves, but also the technologies to produce them,” he wrote.
“Other nations have also suffered from Iranian-backed terror. Therefore, it is fair to give the Iranian people a chance to rid themselves of a terrorist regime and to guarantee security for all nations that have suffered from terror originating in Iran.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also offered support to the United States for “acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security.”
“Despite diplomatic efforts, Iran has neither fully dismantled its nuclear program, halted all enrichment activities, nor ended its support for regional terrorist proxy groups. Canada stands with the Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against Iran’s oppressive regime.”
—CJ Haddad
UN Security Council will hold emergency meeting at 4 p.m. ET
General view of the Security Council meeting on the Middle East at United Nations headquarters in New York on February 18, 2026.
Charly Triballeau | Afp | Getty Images
The United Nations Security Council said it will gather for an emergency meeting to discuss the attacks in Iran at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
“I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a statement. “The use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace and security.”
Guterres called for involved parties to restart negotiations.
President Trump criticized the UN in a speech before its General Assembly in September, and he has cut U.S. funding for the organization.
—Jordan Novet
Schumer calls for Congress to ‘quickly’ reconvene after Iran strike
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters during a press conference following Senate votes regarding a dispute over immigration enforcement ahead of a looming partial government shutdown, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 30, 2026.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a statement on Saturday said the “Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act.”
The Senate is due back late Monday. Even before Saturday’s operation, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., had planned to force a war powers resolution vote in the coming week, though exact timing is unknown. A war powers resolution in Congress would be intended to limit Trump’s authority to declare war without congressional approval.
Schumer in his statement also called for an “immediate all senators classified briefing” and “public testimony.”
“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat,” Schumer said. “Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.”
—Justin Papp
Khanna calls on Congress to take up Iran war powers resolution on Monday
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee member Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) heads to a closed-door, remote deposition from convicted child sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Feb. 9, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who is leading a war powers resolution to restrict Trump’s military actions in Iran, called on Congress to reconvene on Monday — earlier than scheduled for next week — to take up his measure.
“Trump says his goal is to topple the Iranian regime, but the American people are tired of regime-change wars that cost us billions of dollars and risk our lives. we don’t want to be at war with a country of 90 million people in the Middle East,” Khanna said in a video posted to X on Saturday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday announced he would compel a vote on the war powers resolution brought by Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Massie is a Republican who frequently clashes with Trump.
In a statement Saturday, Jeffries reiterated that commitment but did not provide timing.
The House is not due back in session until Wednesday.
The measure brought by Khanna and Massie would compel the administration to seek congressional approval before engaging in any further activity in Iran.
“I am opposed to this War. This is not “America First.” When Congress reconvenes, I will work with @RepRoKhanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran,” Massie posted to X on Saturday. “The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”
—Justin Papp
Iran strikes could send investors into safety plays
A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026.
Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images
Market watchers are paying close attention to the developing news in Iran, and some experts say coordinated strikes from the U.S. and Israel could carry heavier market consequences than more recent geopolitical conflicts.
Markets have been accustomed to absorbing recent geopolitical and economic shocks, including Trump’s announcement of a hike in U.S. tariffs on all imports to 15%, as well as the administration’s recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a similar weekend military action.
“This has definitely bigger ramifications than Venezuela,” said Florian Weidinger, CIO at Santa Lucia Asset Management.
“Venezuela was … only really relevant for people who care about that particular heavy crude,” Weidinger told CNBC. The country’s heavy, sour crude can be challenging to extract.
“That’s why it’s a bigger risk. You would expect oil to tick up a bit more violently next week as a result of that,” he added.
About 13 million barrels per day of crude oil transited the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, roughly 31% of global seaborne crude flows, according to data from market intelligence firm Kpler.
In June, when Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites, equities sold off sharply at the open, then recovered once it became clear the strait was not disrupted.
“That is the pattern markets will reference on Monday,” said Kenneth Goh, director of private wealth management at UOB Kay Hian in Singapore. He adding that there could be a flight to safety with a strengthening of the U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, and a rush into gold.
Read CNBC’s full article here.
— Lee Ying Shan
Trump calls Iran the “No. One state sponsor of terror” in early morning video
An NBC News live feed airs a clip from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social video announcement in the White House James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on February 28, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Trump, in a 2:30 a.m. ET video posted to his official Truth Social account, aired his rationale for ordering an attack on Iran.
The video message, in which Trump spoke from behind a podium wearing a white hat saying “USA,” comes after explosions were heard in multiple cities in the Middle East and Israel launched a daylight attack on Iran’s capital.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said in the video message.
The president called the Iranian regime the “no. one state sponsor of terror,” referring to allegations of the regime’s links to other terrorist attacks, including Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack in Israel.
Trump also emphasized Iran’s nuclear capabilities, saying the regime can never have a nuclear weapon. Negotiations on Iran’s program have been ongoing between officials in Geneva, Switzerland, this week.
“They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore. Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long-range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland.”
—CJ Haddad
Former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts Iran attack
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks, at a campaign event for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, at the Johnny Mercer Theatre Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia, U.S. September 24, 2024.
Megan Varner | Reuters
Former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had a public falling-out with Trump before leaving office midway through her term, in a post to X on Saturday questioned the president’s commitment to the “America first” messaging that was central to his reelection campaign.
“We said ‘No More Foreign Wars, No More Regime Change!’ We said it on rally stage after rally stage, speech after speech. Trump, [Vice President JD] Vance, basically the entire admin campaigned on it and promised to put America FIRST and Make America Great Again,” Greene wrote.
Greene was a staunch ally of Trump for most of her political career. But the pair clashed over the Trump administration’s handling of files related to the disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and foreign policy.
Greene announced she would resign in November and left office in early January.
“Now, America is going to be force fed and gas lighted all the ‘noble’ reasons the American ‘Peace’ President and Pro-Peace administration had to go to war once again this year, after being in power for only a year. Head-spinning, but maga,” Greene wrote.
—Justin Papp
House Speaker Johnson: ‘Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions’
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 3, 2026.
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Saturday said “Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions.”
“President Trump and the Administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime’s sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder of Americans — and even their own people,” Johnson posted to X.
Johnson noted in his post that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on the Hill this week to brief House and Senate leaders on the evolving situation in Iran.
In a statement on Saturday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Iran a “bad actor” that “must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies like Israel and Jordan in the region.” But, like other Democrats, he questioned the constitutionality of launching such an attack without Congress’ blessing.
“The framers of the United States Constitution gave Congress the sole power to declare war as the branch of government closest to the American people,” Jeffries said.
“Donald Trump failed to seek Congressional authorization prior to striking Iran. Instead, the President’s decision to abandon diplomacy and launch a massive military attack has left American troops vulnerable to Iran’s retaliatory actions,” Jeffries continued.
—Justin Papp
GOP, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman cheer Trump’s Iran attack
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks with reporters in the halls of the US Capitol on February 10, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
While most Democrats who have weighed in are questioning the constitutionality of Trump’s attack on Iran, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., joined Republicans in cheering it.
“Operation Epic Fury. President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel,” Fetterman, often a dissenting voice within the Democratic caucus, posted to X.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, posted on X that “the butcher’s bill has finally come due for the ayatollahs,” referring to the Supreme Leader of Iran.
“A nuclear-weapons program. Thousands of missiles. State sponsorship of terror. Iran has waged war against the U.S. for 47 years: the hostage crisis, the Beirut Marine barracks, Khobar Towers, roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan that killed or maimed thousands of American soldiers, the attempted assassination of President Trump,” Cotton wrote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., in a statement on Saturday thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio “for providing updates on these issues throughout the week” and said he looked forward to the administration briefing all senators on the attack.
“Despite the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the diplomatic off-ramps that would peacefully resolve these national security concerns. I commend President Trump for taking action to thwart these threats,” Thune said.
—Justin Papp
Trump urges Iranians to ‘take over your government’ in early morning address
A screen grab from a video released on U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shows Donald Trump making statements regarding combat operations on Iran on February 28, 2026 in Pal Beach, Florida, United States.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
President Trump urged Iranians to “take over your government” in an eight-minute address following U.S. and Israeli combat operations in the region.
“To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” he said, in a video posted to the White House’s social media early Saturday morning.
“Stay sheltered, don’t leave your home, it’s very dangerous outside, bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations.”
— CJ Haddad
Airlines divert flights from Middle East after military strikes
FlightRadar24 Air traffic across the middle East on Feb. 28th, 2026.
Source: Flightradar24
Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, United Airlines and others suspended flights to Middle East destinations due to airspace closures and the attacks on Iran.
Some flights were forced to return to their origin airports or diverted, including a United flight from Newark to Tel Aviv that landed in Athens.
Airlines have been periodically halting flights to the region for years as conflicts and associated security concerns arise. Airspace closures there often force carriers to take longer routes to skirt the area, which requires them to use more fuel.
— Leslie Josephs
Democrats cry foul after Trump strikes Iran without congressional approval
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) questions Zalmay Khalilzad, special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 27, 2021.
Susan Walsh | Pool | Reuters
Democrats called for a briefing and questioned the constitutionality of another military action without congressional approval.
“The Constitution is clear: the decision to take this nation to war rests with Congress, and launching large-scale military operations — particularly in the absence of an imminent threat to the United States — raises serious legal and constitutional concerns,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ranking member on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.
“Congress must be fully briefed, and the administration must come forward with a clear legal justification, a defined end state, and a plan that avoids dragging the United States into yet another costly and unnecessary war,” Warner said.
Both the House and the Senate were expected to take up war powers resolutions in the coming week, which could have limited Trump’s ability to engage militarily in Iran. The issue does not break cleanly along partisan lines, and passage in either chamber was uncertain.
Trump drew similar complaints from Democrats in early January after a targeted operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, about which lawmakers said they were not briefed beforehand.
The Constitution grants Congress primary authority to declare war. The War Powers Resolution, passed in 1973 in response to the Vietnam War, limits the president’s ability to take military action unilaterally and requires the president to consult with Congress when troops are deployed.
“For months, I have raised hell about the fact that the American people want lower prices, not more war —especially wars that aren’t authorized by Congress, as required by the Constitution, and don’t have a clear objective,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who introduced an Iran war powers resolution, said in a statement. “These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives.”
— Justin Papp
